Vegetable trimming apparatus

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a holder, V-shaped in cross section, adapted to receive vegetables, or the like, to be trimmed in the bight of the V. A knife is mounted to be moved transversely across the Vshaped holder portion to trim material in the holder and the base of the apparatus, underlying the knife edge is provided with a knife entry slot and an enlarged slot underlying and communicating with the knife entry slot to permit husks or leaves pulled into the entry slot by the downward motion of the knife to drop through the enlarged slot.

United States Patent Stout et a1.

1541 VEGETABLE TRIMMING APPARATUS [72] Inventors: Wesley Stout, 4414 Brittany Road, Indianapolis; W. J. Stout, 1V, RR. 4 Box 600, Brownsburg, both of 1nd.

221 Filed: :May 13,1971 211 Appl.No.: 143,116

[52] US. Cl ..99/637, 83/607 [51] Int. Cl. ..'....B26d 1/26 [58] Field of Search ..l46/l40,141,146

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,897 11/1939 Oelkers ..146/146 R 2,735,467 2/1956 Hellmich ..146/l46 R X [451 Dec. 5, 1972 Primary ExaminerWillie G. Abercrombie Attorney-Woodard, Weikart, Emhardt & Naughton [5 7 ABSTRACT Disclosed is a holder, V-shaped in cross section, adapted to receive vegetables, or the like, to be trimmed in the bight of the V. A knife is mounted to be moved transversely across the V-shaped holder portion to trim material in the holder and the base of the apparatus, underlying the knife edge is provided with a knifeentry slot and an enlarged slot underlying" I and communicating with the knife entry slot to permit husks or leaves pulled into the entry slot by the downward motion of the knife to drop through the enlarged slot.

. 3-Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED 5 I973 INVENTOPS WesgeY 570m- WESLEY .J. STOUT m MMMULMZM'IWTM ATTORNEYS 1 VEGETABLE TRIMMING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Present day selling of fresh vegetables such as corn, lettuce, rhubarb, and the like requires that they be attractively displayed. On the other hand, competitive pressure requires that the trimming of vegetables, necessary for their attractive display, be done rapidly and at minimum cost. Manual trimming by a hand-held knife often results in bruising or otherwise damaging the vegetable, since it must be held down on a flat surface during cutting, and such operations are dangerous for the knife wielder at worst, and very bruising and irritating to the operators hands at best.

The apparatus of the present invention provides a holder which cradles the vegetable during trimming, so that all of the downward force of a knife pivoted on the apparatus is not taken on the underside of the vegetable and an enlarged slot underlying the thin knife entry slot permits severed husks or leaves to be cleared through it during the trimming operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG- 1 is a top plan view of a vegetable trimming apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1. 4

FIG. 3 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a base plate or block of generally rectangular configuration and a holder member 11 mounted on the base plate by bolts 12 or by any other suitable means. Although the holder member 11 and the base plate 10 are here shown and described as separate elements, it will be understood that the holder and the base plate together with the pivotal support means for the knife, to be subsequently described, might be integrally formed.

The elongated holder member 11 is provided with a longitudinal channel which is generally V-shaped with inclined sidewalls 11a and 11b. The channel is adapted to accommodate a vegetable, such as an ear of corn indicated at 16 in phantom lines in FIG. 1, which is to have the stalk and husk fragments trimmed from it. Adjacent one of its ends, the member 11 is provided with a transverse slot 17 which accommodates the blade 18 of position of FIG. 3 to its lowered solid line position of FIG. 3. The function of the spring 29 is to provide a slight upward force assisting the withdrawal of theknife blade 18 from the slot 17. A stop member 31 may be provided on the base against which the knife may rest when in its lowered position. As may best be seen in FIG. 2 the knife entry s 0t 17 continues to the base plate 10, a portion of the slot identified at 17a in FIG. 2 being closed off at the side margins of the member 11. The knife entry slot 17 communicates with an enlarged slot 33 which, as may best be seen in FIG. 1, has a generally oval configuration and is substantially wider than the knife entry slot 17. This enlarged slot 33 extends through the base 10.

In operation, when an object such as an ear of untrimmed corn is placed in the apparatus, the inclined side-walls 11a and 11b will divide between them the force applied to the ear as the knife blade 18 is lowered. Because the ear [6 rests on an inclined surface all of the force imparted to the ear will not be concentrated at the underside of the ear crushing and damaging the kernels as would occur if the ear were merely held on a flat surface. With the object in place, the knife blade 18 is manually lowered to its solid line position of FIG. 1 cutting the stalk and surrounding husk fragments from the ear. 'Any husk fragments or leaves or the like which may be pulled into the knife entry slot will be transported, upon successive strokes of the knife, into the enlarged slot 33 through which they may drop away from the trimming apparatus. Operation of the trimming apparatus may proceed rapidly resulting in a relatively high volume of well trimmed objects such as vegetables with a minimum of crushing damage to the object as a result of the trimming operation. The apparatus is much safer for the operator and is much easier on the operators hands than is the conventional manual trimming.

We claim 1. An apparatus for trimming vegetables or the like including a base plate, an elongated holder member formed on the base having a longitudinal channel with inclined sidewalls, said channel being adapted to accommodate an object to be trimmed, a transverse slot formed in said holder member adjacent one of its ends, a cutting knife pivotally mounted on said base and aligned with said transverse slot and adapted to enter the slot as the knife is moved downwardly across said channel, and an enlarged slot substantially larger than said transverse knife entry slot, said enlarged slot extending through said base plate and communicating with said transverse knife-entry slot to permit leaves or husks or the like drawn into the knife-entry slot to be cleared downwardly through said enlarged slot.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said holder member channel is V-shaped in cross section 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which a compression spring supported on the base plate urges said knife outwardly from said transverse knife entry slot. 

1. An apparatus for trimming vegetables or the like including a base plate, an elongated holder member formed on the base having a longitudinal channel with inclined sidewalls, said channel being adapted to accommodate an object to be trimmed, a transverse slot formed in said holder member adjacent one of its ends, a cutting knife pivotally mounted on said base and aligned with said transverse slot and adapted to enter the slot as the knife is moved downwardly across said channel, and an enlarged slot substantially larger than said transverse knife entry slot, said enlarged slot extending through said base plate and communicating with said transverse knife-entry slot to permit leaves or husks or the like drawn into the knife-entry slot to be cleared downwardly through said enlarged slot.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said holder member channel is V-shaped in cross section
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which a compression spring supported on the base plate urges said knife outwardly from said transverse knife entry slot. 